Looking back: Quake shakes town, new hospital plans OK'd
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
November 1, 1973
The Whitefish Bulldogs closed out their football season with a narrow 22-14 win over the Missoula Loyola Rams. The victory, engineered during a Montana playoff after regulation time had expired, gave the Bulldogs a 4-3 conference record on the year. The home team (Whitefish) took the lead in the fourth quarter when Torgison twisted 27 yards for six points. George Schmidt added his first of two extra point conversions.
40 Years Ago
November 3, 1983
Lights swung and dishes rattled as an earthquake rumbled through Whitefish shortly after 8 a.m. on Oct. 29. The earthquake measured 6.9 on the Richter scale, which is considered a severe quake. The center was located near Mackey, Idaho, on the southwest side of the Lost River Range. It was the largest quake recorded in the intermountain west since 1959, when a 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook the Hebgen Lake area near Yellowstone National Park.
30 Years Ago
November 4, 1993
In one of the closest races in recent years, Whitefish residents re-elected two city councilmen to seats to which they were appointed, and elected a mayor and two new councilmen. Three four-year term seats were up for grabs and incumbent councilmen Chet Hope and Andy Feury garnered enough votes to retain their seats. Craig Scott was elected to the third seat, replacing Buster Schreiber, and Vic Workman, who was running unopposed, was elected to a two-year term. That two-year term seat previously belonged to Jim Welsh, who ran unopposed for mayor.
20 Years Ago
October 30, 2003
The North Valley Hospital board of directors decided to move ahead with plans to build a replacement hospital on property near the intersection of U.S. 93 and Montana 40. Given the controversy over the relocation to the outlying site, Whitefish Planning Board chairman Mike Jopek sees the PUD as a good compromise. “The PUD is a good concept and a good way for them to proceed,” Jopek Said. “It allows the nitty-gritty details of what types of businesses are appropriate there, and because of that level of detail, it makes sure that’s what will happen there.”
10 Years Ago
October 30, 2013
The Whitefish Chamber of Commerce checked off a number of items on its economic development to-do list and was updating their priorities for the next five to seven years. The chamber was gathering suggestions for ways to diversify the local economy. About 20 people attended a workshop to discuss the chamber’s Whitefish 2020 Plan, which was touted as an economic development blueprint for the city. Chamber executive director Kevin Gartland recalled that three years ago about 65 people gathered for a similar meeting.